Thumbs up or down for the app approval process?

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It is clear why apps are so popular with users but what do these stores or markets offer to the developer?

Gartner's Milanesi added: “The value of the actual app store for generating more than exposure for developers remains to be seen as most of the apps being downloaded are today free. However, we do believe that consumers will be looking for applications more and more going forward.”

She continued: “Developers will be looking for a fair revenue share opportunity, an easy acceptance process and a wide addressable market. Some of the players that are today present with a store cannot offer all.”

But as Milanesi points out, this is hardly an industry first. “Although this has generated a lot of attention the behaviour is no different from not allowing software or services on handsets that might cannibalise operators' ARPU such as Wi-Fi and VoIP," she said.

Rob Bamforth, principal analyst at Quocirca, believes the key for future apps is to keep the serious developers interested who can offer less frivolous apps.

“The problem [for Apple and the other vendors] is more at the head end. How to create a marketplace for serious developers to offer more sophisticated applications that pay back the development investment required for significant applications that businesses can depend upon, rather than ‘iTat," he said.

“There’s nothing wrong with volume and the breadth of quirky, fun and trivial, but there also needs to be a space for professional, valuable and serious. Over time that may mean more rigorous approval processes or at least some tier-ing and discrimination.”

He accepted that this may not appear to be the case now but expects it to turn that way, from the business perspective of the developer as well as manufacturer.

“Certainly developers are being wooed by an increasing number of app stores, developer programmes and the like. But as well as having fun, learning new skills etc, most developers – or their backers – will need to turn a profit," Bamforth added.

“A lucky few will from selling high volumes of trivia, but businesses need real solid tools – and ultimately consumers do too – that’s where the mainstream longer term money will come from.”

Conclusion

The vast amounts of developers accept the need for an approval process and are happy to abide by sensible rules. But it seems the more strenuous and exhausting the approval processes, the more both the app stores, and in turn the users, will lose out.

It is not good for any company to put off some of the top developers in the business but whilst the likes of Apple feel safe and secure with its plethora of applications, smaller and newer stores need to attract developers to bring life and choice to their offerings.

We as users are still relatively new to apps on our phones and there is still an element of novelty that hasn’t worn off yet, but the market will mature and the users with it, becoming pickier about what they deem a decent app.

These stores have time but the balancing act, as Fogg referred to it, needs to improve for the future to be certain for any of the app stores.

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